Duggars Laundry soap recipe:

**Keildra** · 03-10-2011, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by hotprincesscm

This soap doesn't suds up like traditional laundry detergent. So I think you will be fine. With the HE washers, I think the issue with traditional laundry detergent is the sudsing....Actually this homemade detergent doesn't suds up at all....I have gone back to using it more lately myself. Try a little bit for your first load and see how your machine acts...but I honestly think you'll be fine. good luck!

Thanks

**hestlauss** · 03-17-2011, 01:20 AM

I use the paint mixing attachment on DH's cordless drill to mix the soap in a 5 gallon bucket. Really made it much easier than using a paint stick when trying to get it dissolved and combined. Also made it easier to pour into the smaller storage container.

**kita** · 05-25-2011, 05:55 AM

My niece has asked me to make the Homemade Laundry Soap have a stronger scent. She is a smoker and is working as a janitor so she really feels she needs a more noticeable scent.
So could I substitute cheap shower gel for the melty soap? Or shampoo? Any ideas?

**nuisance26** · 05-25-2011, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by kita

My niece has asked me to make the Homemade Laundry Soap have a stronger scent. She is a smoker and is working as a janitor so she really feels she needs a more noticeable scent.
So could I substitute cheap shower gel for the melty soap? Or shampoo? Any ideas?

~Every once in a while I put a drop of pure lavender essential oil in with the first rinse when I wash diapers. It does a wonderful job of leaving a fresh scent. I haven't tried it in the recipe, just as an add-in. Maybe someone else has.~

**nuisance26** · 05-25-2011, 10:37 AM

~Here's advice from Tipnut: "You can add between 10 to 15 drops of essential oil (per 2 gallons) to your homemade laundry detergent. Add once the soap has cooled to room temperature. Stir well and cover.
Essential oil ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil"
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Aura-Cacia-100-Essential-Lavender/dp/accessories/B00014EI26"]Amazon.com: Aura Cacia 100% Pure Essential Oil Lavender -- 0.5 fl oz: [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@11c5Igo16iL[/ame] ~

**nuisance26** · 06-10-2011, 04:05 PM

~I experimented this week with using Bath & Body Works mist spray as a fragrance additive. I have 8 half-full to almost full bottles to use up. 1 teaspoon in a large load gave a nice, fresh scent to my towels. It wasn't really obvious like detergent or softener scents are but it does work nicely!
I wouldn't buy it just for this purpose($.10 per load on sale)but it's a way to use up what you have. Other people might even give you the ones they don't use if you ask around.~

**schellie69** · 06-10-2011, 11:01 PM

I have made this soap and added baking soda to it. Works great if you have clothes that smell. I used it on all of the grand daughters baby clothes worked great and all their clothes smelled so good. I love this soap I make up the 5 gallon bucket then use about a tablespoon or so per load it works great I have a front loader HE machine and my machine does not even have that sour smell it gets with regular laundry soap.

**missyali** · 07-21-2011, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by schellie69

I have made this soap and added baking soda to it. Works great if you have clothes that smell. I used it on all of the grand daughters baby clothes worked great and all their clothes smelled so good. I love this soap I make up the 5 gallon bucket then use about a tablespoon or so per load it works great I have a front loader HE machine and my machine does not even have that sour smell it gets with regular laundry soap.

Could you add the soda when making the soap, or do you only add it with each load?

**kaitala** · 10-19-2011, 08:25 AM

Well, it finally happened. I FINALLY ran out of detergent from when I made it (my first batch ever) back in MARCH. 7 months of laundry out of my mix! I think all told, it cost $12 for all the supplies. So I paid about $1.71 per month for laundry. Figuring on how many loads I do on average, it was about $0.04 per load.

This time, I had washing soda and borax left over. 5 gallons cost me $1.68 for the soap. That'll be about $0.19 a month, about $0.004 per load.

LOVE it. I've added essential oils, but they don't seem to have lasting fragrance on the clothes, so I no longer bother. I double the recipe, except I just put it in one 5 gallon bucket, and then dillute more when I make each bottle. Thanks so much FV and FV members for this hugely money saving recipe!

I also like that it is so environmentally friendly. No sulfates/ites. VERY little packaging, just one box of soda, one box of borax, and paper wrapped soap, all biodegradable. Little carbon footprint since the ingredients stretch for so long. I couldn't be happier with all the aspects!

**sinopa27** · 10-20-2011, 06:47 AM

my husband is a diehard gain lover. We have been married 3 months and I have been using this homemade laundry soap and he thinks it is better. He thinks it is because of my water. BTW, he doesn't know it is homemade. I won't say a word!

**Lynnwantstosave$$** · 10-20-2011, 09:45 PM

I just literally read everything in this thread. You all have inspired me to try to make my own laundry soap. but it will have to wait a little while. If i make the powder how much of it do i add to my washer? I am using the old fashioned top loader machines. Thanks.

**abecedarian** · 11-08-2011, 10:49 AM

The only problem I've had with this recipe has been it refuses to gel. I let it sit for two days, then added the original amounts of dry ingredients to the bucket. That gelled. The soap worked just fine and I'm needing to make more. I know I'm using a five gallon bucket, and I don't believe I added more than five gallons of water to the original mix. So, should I try the original recipe again, or double my soap, borax, and washing soda ingredients all at once?

**SewFrugal** · 11-19-2011, 09:14 AM

I've been using this recipe for over 3 years now. I won't go back to store bought detergent. I love it, it works great and has saved me a ton of money and time.

**MrsRuHa** · 12-09-2011, 12:27 AM

My sister has gotten into making her own soap too. She'll make like 5 gallons at a time & she'll fill containers to pass around to the family. I haven't had to BUY laundry soap for several months now. It does a pretty good job too! Doesn't lather as much, but it sure does clean well.

**nuisance26** · 01-14-2013, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by nuisance26

~I made some detergent, using this liquid recipe and started using it the first week of April. I was unsure if one Zote bar was equal to a Fels Naptha bar since the FN is a much smaller bar(5.5oz) so I guessed they were equal products bar to bar not ounce to ounce. I made 1/5 a recipe since I only had a one gallon jug to store the jelled concentrate.

3oz grated Zote(bars are 14oz)
1/5 cup washing soda
1.5 TB borax
6.5 ounces water

I am very, VERY happy with it. It smells great, cleans great and is even cheaper than the loss-leader bottles I used to buy.
I didn't think this recipe would save me money since I was using just 4 bottles of detergent a year that I generally purchased for $1.50-2 each($6-8 yearly cost for about 260 loads).
But after buying my ingredients at Walmart(washing soda $3 box, borax $7 box and Zote $1)and figuring how many batches I could get out of them, I discovered that it costs less than $.01 a load(X 260 loads= $2.60 yearly cost projected) for the homemade detergent. The savings may seem small but other advantages are less shopping, hauling, plastic bottle waste, dyes, perfumes and chemicals.
I highly recommend that people try this recipe!~

~I no longer have a gallon jug to use these proportions. I do have two of the standard 75oz jugs they put out now. 75 ounces is .6 of 128 ounces/gallon so here's the way I will make enough concentrate for one jug:
.6 ounces grated Fels Naptha(or 1.8 ounces Zote)
1/8 cup washing soda
1 TB Borax
4 ounces water
Cost? $.30!~